


Blackout

by HammeredAlice



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-28
Updated: 2017-07-01
Packaged: 2018-11-20 13:41:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,583
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11336658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HammeredAlice/pseuds/HammeredAlice
Summary: Red. All he could see was red - crimson hair, burning eyes, blood smeared all over the vampire’s face. This was the one, he knew. This one was going to kill him.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi, everyone :) I want to say only two things: 1) Insomnia makes you write weird things. 2) English isn't my first language, mixed with the fact that I typed this while on my phone, well, there could be fuck ups of all kinds. Sorry for that.
> 
> By now, you should already know that I'm writing trash.

  Blackout.

  There was a split second of deafening silence, a blink of an eye in which his body was unable of any reaction at all. It was just a second, really, and just like any other, it passed too quickly. Before he could suck in his first shaky breath, terror took over the club.

  What happened? Startled shrieks filled the underground space. His world drowned in the sudden darkness. What's going on?! The question rang in his ears, multiplied by the screams ringing around him. He opened his mouth, shouted for Satsuki and Ryou, but his voice died out and bled into the cacophony of startlet screams.

  People moved around in blind panic, franctically searching for their companions. Only his friends seemed lost.

  Pain erupted in his lower back as someone's elbow connected with his left kidney. Fuck! The rule of crowd really was a merciless one. Realizing that being stomped to death was an actual option in here, Daiki's survival instinct finally kicked in. In a rush of adrenaline he did the only thing that came on his mind - he started a blind journey to the place where he thought the nearest exit was.

  He didn’t really know what was he doing, though. It’s not like he ever made emergency plans for escaping a goddamn underground clubs, for fuck’s sake!

  Now, he was in the further left corner of the square shaped club, right opposite the bar. There had to be an emergency back door or stairs or some way out, but trying to find something that might not even exist was stupid in situation like this. Instead, he opted for the bar itself. There had to be, you know, a place where they stacked alcohol and everything - a stock! - and places like that had to have some way out, so they could bring the stuff inside, no?

  Adrenaline surge is great when running away from something, but it certainly does not make you think clearly.

  “Fuck!” It was rather violent collision - a body slammed into his, a giant body - and it actually sent him flying face first towards the ground. With his arms stretched out to lessen the impact, Daiki found himself colliding with a hard, flat surface. Not the floor, though. Clattering of glasses falling over told him otherwise. A table, it’s blunt corner dug into his stomach. He recalled there were six or seven booths plastered against the wall.

  Receiving a kick in the shin, he gripped the metal table and pulled himself into the empty booth and then, by reasons he couldn't describe as anything less than pure instinct, climbed under it.

  His mind was out, no, he was out of his mind. Everything was wrong. This was no ordinary blackout. If it were one, then there would be some pissed off manager on stage currently ordering everyone to shut up and calm the fuck down, it'll be alright in two minutes. It couldn't be a fire either, otherwise the alarm would blast off and people would be running out of the club instead of just pushing around-

  People weren't getting out.

  Holy mother of fuck.

  If something, anything, ever happens anywhere, the crowd's natural behavior is to get out. Usually, everytime the alarm started blasting or some idiot pulled out his mama's gun, people's first reaction was to get the fuck out. These people in here weren't getting out, they were pushing around in disoriented little circles, screaming and shining their phone screens into each other's faces. It was all so fucking wrong.

  Then it hit him.

  They couldn't get out. They were locked up here, in darkness, secured from the world by the six feet of concrete above their heads and heavy metal door no one could ever kick out.

  This was no power accident. It was a trap.

  A roar like no other pierced the thick smoke-induced air, effectively silencing everyone around. Every single hair on Daiki’s body stood up as the sound cut through his core, etching itself into his mind for forever. It was the sound of dying. One after one, male, female, female, female, male. The screams carried on through the club, making the panic flare up into almost impossible highs.

  Someone ran into his table and the furniture was pushed backwards, against the booth. He crawled back until his back also hit the leather, trying to block out the unmanly noise that threatened to escape his throat.

  Another body forced it's way under the table, entrapping him. It was a male, wailing in fear. Death was here. It came hidden in the darkness and caught it's prey off-guard.

  Imayoshi was right when he mentioned they will get braver. From hobos and street kids to prostitutes and policemen. From dark alleys and empty parking lots to night trains and the city centre. Last weekend, they jumped on some big animal from Vanguard. It was one of the best hunters, yet Susa said they tore him apart like nothing. There wasn't much further the bloodsuckers could go, but Imayoshi still predicted another, even bigger attack. It was strange, but somehow, Imayoshi always knew all about these creatures. When he was a kid, Daiki thought that the man was a former Vanguard agent or a free-lance hunter, but Satsuki assured him otherwise. Imayoshi Shoichi had a keen understanding for vampires which was preciselly why his pavement beauties never got jumped while on their shifts.

  Slowly, the screams died off. The air now reeked of blood, sweat and urine, making his stomach turn, yet Daiki still held himself from letting out any kind of sound.

  If something corners you in the dark and you can’t fight it, don't make a sound. Don't cry, don't gasp, don't breathe. Hide. That's what Imayoshi told him, but Imayoshi was sitting in his rocking armchair, chewing on tobacco and most likely polishing the necklace of bones he'll give to the newest boy. Thats how people recognized his beauties - Daiki’s one was made of a snake backbone and a pair of teeth, long fangs he’d love to think were knocked out straight out of some bloodsucker’s mouth. It was said to protect them from harms and diseases. He guessed, with a sick amusement, that Imayoshi’s little magic didn’t work against vampires.

  With a loud crash, a body landed on the top of his table and the guy in front of him shreaked.

  No.

  No, no, no, no, no. Shut up! He kicked the guy's back hard, trying to push him out of his safe cave, but it was too late. Something already grasped him and he was shreaking on top of his lungs as his body involuntary moved into the open space. No, no, no. Daiki quickly buried himself into the booth, knees tucked under his chin.

  The lights were still out, so he couldn't see what was happening with his former neighbour, but the shrieking was gone.

  Dead silence settled over the club. His lungs were burning with the air he didn't dare to let out. His own heartbeat seemed so deafening to his ears, so loud that there was no chance that whatever was out there would miss him. Still, he held on.

  Daiki had always been a hot-headed one. He was fast to pass judgements and even faster to throw fists which was borderline stupid when living in the slums. For a pavement youth like him, chances weren't much high. Most of his childhood friends were dead, fallen prey to starvation, cold, vamps or anyone who wasn't above hurting a child. If Imayoshi hadn't picked him up from a puddle of his own blood a decade ago, he'd become a rat's food for sure.

  Through it all, Daiki firmly believed he’ll see his eighteenth birthday. The mysterious glasses guy gave him a relatively safe place to live, he gave him food and a job - not that blowing dudes in the dark alleys was a fortune or anything - so Daiki at least hoped. Hope was useless against a hunting vampire though.

  He was going to die here.

  The bone necklace resting around his neck suddenly felt as if it weighted a ton. Maybe he should haunt Imayoshi once he dies - better be a rat's food than vampire's juice box.

  One by one, the lights switched on again with a cracking noise. He had only a limited view thanks to the booths surrounding him, but even that was more than enough. The floor disappeared. A sea of bodies was covering the concrete, various body parts laid scattered around carelessly, some of them still twitching. Daiki had to bite his lip to prevent himself from screaming.

  “Alright, everyone,” a voice - female voice - rang throught the place, “let’s go! Vanguard could be here any minute-”

  “Wait!”

  In the dead silence, someone sucked in a long, deep breath. The sound made shivers run down Daiki's spine, but the worst was yet to come.

  "Mitobe says there's one more!"

  He could swear he died on the spot at that moment. Sadly, quick merciful death wasn’t awaiting him.

  A horrible screeching noise, unlike anything he ever heard before, cut through the air few inches away from the tip of his boots. A body pushed itself under the table. "Hi there, friend! C’mere!" It was all blur, then. Clawed fingers sneaked around his ankle, pulling him into the open space of the club and Daiki thrashed, his other leg kicking wildly until his boot connected with something solid. If he was about to go, then he wasn’t going without a fight!

  There was a crunching sound, followed by a howl of pain. It resonated through the concrete walls, but Daiki had no time to enjoy his little victory - the hold on his ankle tightened and tightened, his bones shattering under the impact. He screamed.

  “Koga!”

  "Stop playing around, we have to go! Riko, where’s Kagami?”

  “He went after Bones’s girl-”

  Bones’s girl. Satsuki.

  The mention of her tore Daiki out of the pained haze. He kicked against the bloodsucker’s face some more, smashing his heel into the monster’s teeth. The fight caught the attention of the rest of the pack, apparetly, because the next second another pair of hands was on him, digging into his arms and trying to drag him away from the roaring vampire.

  With a sick wet pop, his left shoulder dislocated. Daiki didn’t know whether he was screaming or crying or wailing in pain by this point, all he could think of was how it hurt and that he didn’t want to die, fuck, they were going to tear him apart!

  “What’s going on?”

  “Hey, Kagami,” the bloodsucker at Daiki’s feet looked up, face splitting in shit eating grin. Daiki noticed few of his front teeth were broken and felt a swell of pride because he managed to do that. “There’s another one! He’s one of Bones’s!”

  “Is he?” So even the bloodsuckers knew Imayoshi. For some reason, it wasn’t that surprising.

  “Let me see.”

  There was a particulary wicked tug. Daiki felt the muscles in his torso stretch to it’s limits, his backbone protesting, both threatening to just give up-

  Then it all stopped.

  Third pair of hands was on him, pawing its way up his pectorals, short claws grazing the thin fabric of his shirt. Daiki blinked away the black spots dancing in front of his unfocused eyes, only to find himself facing the worst sight of his life.

  Red. All he could see was red - crimson hair, burning eyes, blood smeared all over the vampire’s face. The monster was snarling, baring its sharp teeth and fuck, Daiki was hyperventilating. He was going to die, he was going to die, he will die-

  One hand gripped his jaw, the short claws piercing through the smooth skin here. The other grabbed on his necklace. “Koga’s right. So, it's you.."

  What? Of course he was him! What the fuck?!

  Daiki would love to scream at the bloodsucker, to curse him or give any kind of fight, but the red gaze pinned him to the ground.

  This was the one, he knew. This one was going to kill him.

  The vampire held his gaze, corners of his mouth turning upwards in the most manic grin Daiki had ever seen. He felt the claws trace his Adam’s apple. "So it was a good deal, after all.."

  Daiki tried to swallow the lump that was suddenly preventing him from breathing. It made the monster chuckle.

  “You can share with me if you want,” shrugged the bloodsucker still gripping his shattered ankle. His claws were tracing the inside of Daiki’s thigh, searching for a perfect spot to bite. It was found seconds after, but right before he lowered his head to start the deed, the red eyed vampire let out a guttural growl. “Back off, he’s mine!”

  “But I saw him first!”

  “Who cares?!”

  Why couldn’t they just snap his neck and let him be?

  “But-”

  “Mine!”

  The claws gripping his jaw disappeared. Daiki felt droplets of blood sliding down his face, he even caught the redhead following one of them with heated gaze before turning to face the smaller vampire.

  “I’ll tear your fucking face off if you don’t let go,” the bloodsucker said in low voice, the smoothness making Daiki’s insides clench. He didn’t need to know the redhead to tell he wasn’t making empty threats.

  Finally, the vampire detached his hand from Daiki’s ruined boot, his eyes never really leaving the redhead's face. “My, my, Kagami! No need to be all angry. I-I'm already full, anyway. He's all yours!”

  What happened then was sort of hazy. He was hauled upright, but the shattered ankle gave up under his weight. Daiki was just crumbling back onto the floor when a strong arm circled around his waist, smashing him flush against the redhead’s chest. “So, you must be Dai-chan, huh?”

  “Wha- How?”

  The only one who called him that pet name was Satsuki-

  The vampire laughed. Amused. Carefree. It was an unbecoming sound when coming from a human-clad monster. He nuzzled into Daiki’s face and the almost affectionate gesture made his stomach turn. “Don’t sweat it, Dai-chan.”

  Part of him wanted to cry.

  “I met your friend. We made this little deal.”

  “What have you done to Satsuki, bast-aah!” Daiki’s breath hitched when the cold nose bumped into his cheekbone. The redhead flicked his tongue over the claw marks, following the path of drying blood to the boy's earlobe. “Hmmm, yummy.”

  “Kagami! Stop messing around, we have to go!”

  “We’re going!” Shouted the vampire and Daiki went temporarily deaf. “Alright, Dai-chan, hold on tight,” he threw Daiki’s good arm over his own broad shoulders.

  They strode to the stairs - well, the vampire strode, Daiki was more or less being dragged, his useless arm dangling by his side idly - stepping over and on the lifeless bodies, bones crushing under their combined weight.

  The sight was just horrific.

  Once they were out and onto the darkened street, the vampire - Kagami they called him? - licked another stripe down the side of his face before humming: “You’re actually really tasty. Shame I’m so stuffed tonight.”

  The cold, wet sensation made Daiki shudder. He gritted his teeth: “Fuck off!” Yet, the sudden surge of bravery only gained him a whack on the temple. “Shut up. You should be thanking me-”

  “I’d rather die.”

  “Don’t worry, I can grant that wish.”

  “I’m gonna chop off your fucking head first!”

  “See, we’re gonna have so much fun!” With that, they stepped into the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello :) I wanted to write something in here, but there's nothing to say besides I'm sleep-deprived and there might be all kinds of grammar fuck ups thanks to it. Sorry for that. Hope you'll enjoy it anyway :D

  It was like being dragged by a locomotive.

  He couldn't keep up - fuck, he wouldn't be able to keep up even with his ankle intact - but the vampire didn't care at all. If it weren't for the short claws and their death grip on his waist, he'd say the monster actually forgot about his presence, yet the claws were there, holding him in place, digging deeper into the lean muscles every time he started slipping.

  They sped through the slums. Daiki knew these streets like the palm of his hand, he used to live there, used to sleep in that nook when it rained. Now, however, with the soles of his boots hardly touching the pavestones, everything seemed surreal. Eerie. Final.

  He was racing towards his death, carried away by a monster that most likely killed his friends just a moment ago.

  They cut a corner. His fingers were clenched in the heavy fabric of Kagami's blood soaked coat, close to the collar - the vampire placed them there by himself, instructing him to hold on tight before they bolted from the club. Daiki spared them a quick glance. He was, indeed, holding on for his dear life, so tight that his knuckles went white. Why even? He was going to die at the end of this trip anyway, so what was the point of holding on?

  An idea came up.

  In an ill-minded attempt to tip the vampire off balance, Daiki let go. Kagami noticed immediately. "What are you doing, idiot?!" Instead of an answer, he jammed his not-so-blunt nails into the tender spot between the redhead’s jaw and ear, feeling them sink into the cold flesh.

  He was almost positive he tore the redhead’s ear off.

  Kagami yowled. Had he had the time to ponder about it, he’d note how inhuman the sound was, but - fuck! - the arm around his waist disappeared and the sudden lack of support had Daiki flying. “Oomph!” His side connected with the pavestones milliseconds before his head did, lessening the impact of his skull knocking against the wet stones, but the momentum he gained thanks to the vampire’s speed sent him rolling down the street anyway. It hurt like a bitch, but fuck it, this might be his last chance! Ignoring the ringing in his ears, Daiki scrambled to his feet, praying to every fucking deity he knew for the-

  “You little fuck!” Of course, the vampire was faster. Claws clamped around the back of his neck.  “You wanna play, huh?!” The next thing he knew, he was being hauled back, flush against Kagami’s chest.

  “Get the fuck off!” Daiki roared. He slammed his elbow into the vampire’s side once, twice, three times before the bloodsucker caught it and twisted it behind his back.

  “Fine, let’s play!”

  Why, out of all the vamps cruising through this godforsaken city, did he collide with this bastard, that was beyond his comprehension. “I sai-”

  Cold.

  It was as if a cube of ice slid down his neck. Yet it was no ice, Daiki realized with rising panic, no, it was Kagami’s mouth ghosting over his jugular. He froze.

  "What is it, Dai-chan?" Not the pet name again! "You don't wanna play?" Daiki could feel the low voice vibrating through his rib cage and no, he didn't wanna play. He wanted to run and hide and plunge a fucking stake through the redhead's heart. "The girl said you're more fun."

  Satsuki? She talked about him with a motherfucking vampire?! What the fuck?! "What have you done to her?"

  "Not a thing. I was already full and she cried, so we made a deal instead." Kagami hummed against his pulse point, slightly chapped lips sliding over the warm skin there before he licked a trail up to Daiki's earlobe. "One lives, one goes. We can't eat all of Bones's babies, after all."

  He didn't understand. She was like his sister! There was no way, she'd ever-

  "It seems you pulled out the short straw, Dai-chan.."

  What about Ryou and since when did bloodsuckers care for Imayoshi's best interests? He had so many questions, but all of them died on the tip of his tongue once he felt the incisors graze his flesh. God fucking almighty! Breath hitched in the back of his throat. He didn't dare to move at all, suddenly afraid that even the smallest shudder could be his last. No fangs came, though.

  "Now run."

  The thing is, no one ever outran a vampire. Daiki tried. He limped down the street as fast as he could with the fucking ankle buckling under him every time he tried so step on it, white hot pain licking up his calf. If the first bloodsucker hadn’t ruined it for good, Daiki did it just now. Kagami fell into easy step few feet behind him, the soft sound of his shoes against the stone following him like a plague. Every time Daiki stumbled, every time he wavered and his ankle started giving up, the redhead was here, setting him upright, whispering things like “caught you” or “try again.”

  After few minutes, he wanted to die.

  Just down this street, there were eight stony stairs, some of them half crumbled from all the years of usage. When he was eight, he scraped his knees raw when falling off them. The stairs led to a big, worn out house of Imayoshi Shoichi. He was almost home. Part of him wanted to laugh, but the urge was gone once he realized he was probably gonna bleed out on that stairs. Almost home.

  The sob tore itself out of his throat on his own, really.

  Daiki glanced over his shoulder, hating the fact that the bloodsucker witnessed his moment of weakness, but the spot few feet behind where Kagami used to lurk was now empty.

  He was gone.

  Could it be real? Did the bloodsucker finally get bored with his pathetic hopping and decided to find someone else to torment? Daiki turned around, squinting, but all he could see was darkness. He waited. One heartbeat, then five, ten. Nothing happened. He was alone. All he could hear was the thrum of blood in his ears and his own, half-hearted sobbing. The vampire was gone.

  “Awww, poor baby.”

  No! No, no, no fucking way!

  “Don’t worry, I’m not leaving you anytime soon.”

  He spun around, finding himself face to face with the red eyed monster. In the last act of desperation, Daiki threw his fist against the toothy grin.

  He missed. Kagami slammed into his torso, arms sneaking around his middle while Daiki’s fist rained against his back, stream of cusses and “let me go”s pouring from his lips. Meanwhile, the vampire nuzzled into his cheek again. He was making all those soothing, embarrassing sounds as if he weren’t about to rip his fucking throat open and Daiki hated him with everything he got. Why couldn’t he just kill him? Why?! By this point, he really wanted to die.

  “No more games tonight, hmm?” Kagami whispered against his cheekbone. He had at least an inch of height on the bloodsucker. The red hair tickled his face and he realized, with sick fascination, how soft it was, even though the ends were glued together. He recalled that the first time he laid his eyes on the vampire, Kagami’s face was covered in blood. Daiki guessed that was the stuff in his hair. Gross.

  “Let’s go home.”

  He hadn’t even had a chance to protest before Kagami threw him over his shoulder.

  Home, he said? Daiki could already see his home, the light in Imayoshi’s room was still on and its yellow glow was seeping through the curtains like a beacon. No, the monster was carrying him away from his home, speeding through the streets with his outsoles ringing against the pavestones.

  He must've passed out somewhere along the way, Daiki realized when a particularly hard jump jerked him awake. His whole being was hurting. Not only the ankle and the dislocated shoulder which was more or less just hanging down Kagami's back. No, his head hurt, his neck hurt where the bloodsucker gripped it, fuck, even his midsection was in pain from being thrown over the redhead's shoulder for so long.

  They weren't in the slums anymore. The merry ringing noise was gone. Instead, he heard the whisper of leaves under Kagami's feet and the vampire’s occasional snicker. Were they going through some park? Forest? Maybe he could try to kick him or pull onto the vamp's hair, Daiki thought, yet he did none of that. The fire of hope had been trampled the moment he saw Imayoshi's house fading into distance, leaving only hollow resignation - there was no way he could outrun the bloodsucker in this state. Killing him with bare hands was also highly unrealistic..

  Whatever. He was tired out of his mind and hurting, so instead of a fight Daiki slumped down a bit more, eyes closed, and prayed for death to come quickly.

  The bone necklace caught against his lips, smooth and as cold as the vampire’s touch. He remembered being so proud of it the first time Imayoshi draped it around his neck. He was eleven and his chest swelled with pride because he just became one of the famous Bones's pavement beauties and no one could hurt him anymore. No one dared to touch what Imayoshi claimed. Daiki had witnessed that happening only once, few months ago, when a girl was delivered onto their step beaten bloody, even missing some teeth. Imayoshi found the man - who was loudly declaring she asked for it - and agreed with all the accusations, even going as far as inviting the said man for a drink as a sign of a good will. Needless to say, the rats feasted on his body for another three days.

  He listened to the necklace's soft rustling and hoped that the teeth here, vampire fangs without a doubt, belonged to someone Kagami loved.

  He almost slipped under again, if it weren't for the vampire patting his backside. "We're home, Dai-chan!"

  Kagami was stupid to bring him into the pack's lair, really. Once he finally killed him, the bloodsucker will have to carry his dead body far away or the Vanguard might pick on the trace and find their dwelling. He doubted Imayoshi would seek his revenge against the pack since the man knew better than to meddle with bloodsuckers. So yeah, hopefully Vanguard will do it for them both.

  Daiki hadn't had much time to examine the place. He was set down on his own wobbly feet, but Kagami had to drag him into the lobby anyway. The place must've been some abandoned villa. The city's downtown was littered with these – they still stood, an old reminder of the glory days – but the only ones really living in them were vamps and druggies.

  The redhead immediately forced himself between Daiki and the few vampires scattered here. “C’mon, Dai-chan! This way!” He hissed, urgency making his voice jump a notch higher. “Go, go!” Kagami pawed on his waist, pushing him to move towards the half-crumbled staircase.

  But he was like frozen on the spot.

  There were six of them. Five males, one female. Imayoshi used to say that a reasonable pack size was four vamps at most - one alpha, three hunters - because that way everyone got to feed from the kill. Maybe his knowledge wasn’t as great after all, Daiki thought, since this pack was twice the size and still seemed perfectly well-fed to him, judged by what he witnessed back at the club. Fuck, the memory made his stomach turn.

  Of course they were noticed right away.

  “Kagami!” A short-haired male with glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose growled, pale face scrunched in distaste. “What the hell are you doing?!” He didn’t seem half as threatening as Kagami, yet the redhead tensed. Maybe he was higher on the food chain? Daiki couldn’t tell. “We don’t bring food in here!”

  Fuck.

  “Kagami, your drinking problem is getting out of hand,” snickered another male. Daiki hadn’t noticed this one back at the club which was strange given to the fact that his eyes shone fucking silver, brighter than anyone else’s. His little comment made the previous vampire groan. “Izuki! Could you stop with the bloody nonsense for a minute?!”

  “Wow, nice one, Hyuga!”

  “Shut up! Kagami, you go finish this outside! I won’t have you making mess all over the place.”

  Daiki didn’t understand. Was this the pack’s alpha? It would make sense since he could hardly imagine the red eyed vampire listening to anyone else. Back at the club, he made a great show of rubbing his dominance in the other’s face, yet now, facing this growling bloodsucker, he sort of.. Shrank? Were they belittling him? The redhead must’ve thought so. He looked like a kid being caught while stealing food.

  Still, he bared his fangs in defiance. “I’m not gonna.” Daiki felt the grip on his side tightening to the point where the short claws drew blood. Shit! The copper tang of blood quickly made him the new center of the pack’s attention. Holy mother of fuck, this was getting only worse and worse! The image of having seven sets of teeth tearing on his flesh made blind panic rise in the back of his mind.

  Kagami caught their hungry looks too and the growl he let out was just blood-curling. “Back off!”

  “Kagami!”

  The tension in the room was quickly rising and it would surely lead to a fight if it weren’t for the fourth vampire joining in.

  “Let him be,” he smiled - an actual bloodsucker actually smiled, with happy little wrinkles forming in the corners of his eyes - and continued to examine the broken teeth of his fellow packmate. Daiki recognized that one immediately, it was the little fuck that pulled him out of his hiding spot. Koma? Kota? “Calm down, Hyuga. Kagami is still getting used to everything. But hey, Kagami, they’re right - it’s dangerous to bring food home. Vanguard could track you and we’d all hate to relocate again.”

  The alpha, however, shared none of his positivity. “Shut up, Kiyoshi! Stop excusing him!”

  Daiki felt a drop of blood slide down his hipbone. He tried to push the vampire’s hand away, but Kagami only grunted and dug deeper.

  Was he some kind of the pack’s baby? The smiley bloodsucker hinted so. The image of an intimidating monster slowly crumbled in front of Daiki’s eyes. He even caught himself thinking how embarrassing it was - had Kagami been the alpha, he could die peacefully, knowing that he could never fight off such a monster, but like this? Fucking pathetic.

  A small fight broke out. The vampires were hissing and growling, spitting curses until a female voice rose above them all: “Shut up, all of you!” Everyone listened, even the alpha, well, if he really were the alpha. “Hyuga, calm down! Kagami, what is the human doing here?! Explain!”

  The redhead glanced his way. “Well, uh.. I don’t really wanna kill him yet, but he’s mine, so..”

  He didn’t want to kill him yet? What the fuck? Did this shitty bloodsucker plan to torment him until he begged to be killed or what?! The image of another of the “games” made his throat clench and he was hurting and fuck no, he wasn’t gonna just sit there and wait until the fucker got hungry again-

  The vampire with glasses seemed to have similar opinion. He took a step closer, hissing: “Kagami!” The redhead didn’t back away.

  Turns out he didn’t have to.

  The female vamp, definitely the alpha figure of this pack, had been eyeing Daiki’s bone necklace for a while. At first, he thought she was just hungry and stared at his scraped neck, but hell was he wrong. For the first time since he stepped into the lair, someone addressed him directly and not only as an object or food. It was empowering, yet also downward terrifying because it immediately drawn attention of the whole pack to him and only him. “How many customers you have per night?”

  The question made him sputter. “I-I, uh.. I’m not sure.” It was ridiculous, really! “Five or six, sometimes ten, it depends-”

  “That’s good, isn’t it? Bones’s boys charge the most and we could use that money. Or you could lure them for us..”

  They all did a double take, but no one’s jaw dropped lower than Daiki’s. Was she implying-

  “Riko?!” On the second thought, not-so-alpha bloodsucker might be the most surprised in the room. Or he was simply being the loudest about it. “What does it mean?”

  “It means we keep the human, Junpei, or do you think you can fight Vanguard empty-handed?! I’d like to see that!” She growled and oh yeah, there was no mistaking in it now. She called the shots here.

  Silence fell over the pack. Daiki was still trying to process what the hell was her plan when Kagami opened his big toothy mouth: “What then?”

  “I’ll think it through, but I’m sure we can use him. Kagami, you will keep an eye on the human. Don’t kill him, understood?! No accidental feeding this time! Now go show him the nest.”

  The next thing he knew, he was being dragged up the stairs and down some hall, the vampire glued to his side. He forced open one of the many doors and showed Daiki inside.

  Once again, he was alone with the monster, yet Kagami hardly paid any attention to him. He walked over to a porcelain sink and began scrubbing his face and hands, clawing away pieces of dried blood. Daiki used that time to look around. The door wasn’t locked so maybe he could come up with some way how to eventually escape this place.

  The room was almost Spartan. It’s most notable features were the window nailed shut – probably to block off any daylight - and also something Daiki guessed must be the nest. Actually, it was just a low bed, although covered with so many blankets and pillows it seemed twice as high. He wondered where did the vampire get so many colorful pieces of cloth and why exactly did he need all of them. His image of bloodsucking monster somehow lacked that little detail. Vampires were always cold, but again, the smiling bloodsucker said something about Kagami getting used to it - was it possible that the redhead still tried to keep warm? Or did he just like wallowing in a fort of blankets? Daiki got so engrossed into the nesting thing that he almost missed the vampire’s sudden command. “Strip.”

  “What?” He couldn’t believe his ears. Kagami lifted his head from the sink, dripping, one hand blindly searching for something to wipe with. Few moments later he was burying his face into a small towel. “I said strip. You’re not climbing into my nest like this.”

  “No fucking way!” Daiki spat. There was no way he was going to let the bloodsucker bang him, not even if his life depended on it!

  Kagami didn’t care. He shook off his coat as well as the shirt he wore underneath and folded both onto the wooden table - the only piece of real furniture here besides the nest. He followed that suit with every single piece of clothing until he was standing in front of Daiki in nothing but underwear. “Don’t make me do it for you.”

  He was pale. Pale and muscled and broad, but then again, everyone was pale when compared to Daiki. Scars of various shapes were etched into his skin, some of them relatively recent while the other were already faded, slowly making space for new ones. He must’ve gotten into many fights, either with Vanguard or maybe with another vampire pack, it didn’t matter.

  Something in the back of his head told Daiki that whoever tried to clash with the redhead ended up far worse than just scarred.

  Of course, Kagami caught him staring. His face split into a grin. “Like what you see?”

  The redhead’s face was utterly different when not covered by a thick crust of dried blood. They could be around the same age - at least physically. He wasn’t hideous nor mutilated in any way, no. Kagami might actually be the most handsome guy Daiki had ever seen with the exception of himself and the realization made his rib cage clench in a weird way.

  Monsters were supposed to look like monsters, after all.

  “I’m not gonna fuck you,” he growled, but the sound wasn’t half as threatening as he’d like it to be.

  It only made the bloodsucker chuckle. “You can calm down, I’m not into food play. Although, when I come to think about it.. Maybe later.” Kagami fucking winked at him, the bastard! “But we gotta fix your shoulder first.”

  Popping the joint back in hurt even more than dislocating it. Kagami’s clawed fingers stayed curled around his arm afterwards and he was making the same low, soothing noises while Daiki tried his hardest not to scream. The vampire continued to shower him with the fake affection for quite some time, petting his hair, licking his neck and doing all kinds of weird, seemingly innocent things that made Daiki’s skin crawl.

  Eventually, the vampire coaxed him out of his clothes.

  He was sitting at the edge of the nest, watching the bloodsucker fix his ankle with some sort of scarf when the cold palm slid up his calf. “Easy, Dai-chan.”

  The pet name reminded him of Satsuki, the girl that used to play hide and seek with him when he first came to Imayoshi's house, the same girl that pushed him into the arms of a bloodthirsty monster to save her own life. He'd like to hate her for it. “Don’t call me that,” he hissed, but his voice was just as hollow and tired as was his mind. Kagami rose from his spot – he was sitting on the floor cross-legged, with Daiki’s injured foot resting on his knee – so now he was looming over him, arms braced on both sides of his hips. “How should I call you then, tasty?”

  It was strange, the coldness he radiated. Daiki was used to warm bodies, sweat and feverish touches. He hated cold.

  “Daiki.” He breathed out. “Just Daiki.” He didn’t have a second name. No pavement youth had.

  The room was lit by a single lamp standing at the table nearby, but it’s light was too dim for his eyes. When he looked up at the vampire’s face, he could hardly make out anything beside the burning red of his eyes, as red as the blood that covered the club’s floor that night. Why was Kagami acting so kind with him suddenly? After all, this was the same monster that tore people apart, the one that made him limp around the slums even though he knew Daiki could hardly walk.

  “Alright, Daiki," the name rolled off his tongue smoothly, "that’s enough for tonight.”

  The red gaze traveled down his torso. He tried to follow it, but – “Wha-?” – a hand shoved against the center of his chest, pushing him onto his back, deep into the mountain of blankets.

  Daiki struggled, at first. He threw fists, kicked and clawed at the vampire’s shoulders. It was no use. “Let go, fucker!” They wrestled around for a while, but he was exhausted and the vampire had all the advantages on him. "Let go!" Few minutes after, he was lying on his side with the block of ice that was Kagami’s body pressed against his back, pale arms around Daiki’s waist. Hell, he even threw one leg over him!  “Shut up and sleep. It’s almost morning.”

  Slowly, he felt his own warmth disappearing, seeping into the cold body behind him.

  “So warm..”

  If he really was going to somehow miraculously survive all of this, he'll lead Vanguard straight to Kagami's nest.


End file.
